The publication, a staple in the region’s Latino community, has not been printed in recent weeks

La Prensa San Diego, the region’s long-standing bilingual newspaper, has not been printed or distributed in recent weeks. Meanwhile, some employees, contributors and vendors have not been paid for work this year, according to three individuals who work or have worked under the publication’s owner and publisher.

The individuals requested that their names not be published because they feared they would not be paid.

Owner and publisher Art Castañares, who purchased the English- and Spanish-language publication in 2015, acknowledged some parties have not been paid but did not offer an explanation in a series of emails in response to questions from The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“All of the outstanding invoices have been reviewed and will be paid with next week’s check run,” he said on Friday.

Castañares said La Prensa is contemplating changes to its business model — including switching to a monthly publication — as it plans to expand its brand online and in other markets.

“We are making structural changes to La Prensa as we move forward with new opportunities in San Diego, as well as Reno, Nevada,” said the 47-year-old political-consultant-turned-businessman.

Founded in 1976 by Daniel L. Muñoz, whose goal was to provide a voice for Latinos in San Diego County, La Prensa offers local, national and international news. Its name, which means “the press” in Spanish, is common for newspapers across Latin America.

“Finding La Prensa is like finding a piece of home, something you can trust,” said Ramona Perez, an anthropology professor and director of the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University.

“It’s truly provided a window into the Spanish-speaking world for people here in San Diego,” she said.

Perez said she was saddened by the news of a possible switch to a monthly publication. She said the change would reduce the choices for Spanish-language speakers who rely on print news in their mother language, with nuances that are often lost in translation, such as the impacts of changes in policies.

Other publications that offers news in Spanish in the San Diego area are El Latino and the San Diego Union-Tribune en Español.

Laura Castañeda, a former journalist and now an internship coordinator for SDSU’s School of Journalism and Media Studies, said it’s no surprise, considering printing costs, that La Prensa may become a monthly publication and focus more on its digital platform.

“It’s cost effective,” she said.

She, too, said she was saddened to hear the news about the possible publication change at La Prensa. She said publications like La Prensa are invaluable because they focus heavily on coverage that matters to Latinos.

“When you see a longtime community paper like La Prensa ... going through tough times, dissolving or not publishing as often,” she said, “it’s going to hurt the community in the end.”

She said she wished La Prensa’s ownership would have communicated any troubles to the public sooner, adding that the paper built trust in the community under the Muñoz family.

Art Castanares of Manzana Energy gave the San Ysidro school board an update on a solar panel project in 2015.

Hayne Palmour IV

Employees and contributors have been in the dark about the reasons behind the irregularities in printing and pay and said they have been unable to contact Castañares since December, according to the individuals who work or have worked under Castañares.

One employee said he has not received pay since December. Even so, he said, he has undertaken unpaid work. He said he has stuck around and continued to work while others haven’t because he believes his boss has the money to pay up and will come around.

“I really do think I’ll get paid,” the staffer said.

In recent weeks, La Prensa has continued to produce content with about a half-dozen freelance writers and three full-time employees, according to the individuals who spoke with the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Outside La Prensa’s office in Barrio Logan, the print edition available last week on a newspaper rack was a Feb. 22 edition. “Ted Cruz wants ‘El Chapo’ to pay for border wall,” read the main headline on the front page.

Asked about the lapse in time between print editions, Castañares did not confirm the last time the publication was printed. He said only that changes are coming for the publication, which has seen its weekly readership reach 40,000 in recent years.

“We are evaluating converting to a monthly print version with weekly online versions and constant online content,” he said. “We are about to roll out an entirely new platform that is much more broad than just San Diego.”

He said he could not offer more details yet.

“We will be announcing those changes soon,” he said. “In the meantime, we have focused our efforts on our online presence and reach.”

For several days in late March, La Prensa’s website was down. Castañares said the website was hacked and added that in response La Prensa has worked to boost its cyber security defenses.

Outside of La Prensa, Castañares also is involved in other ventures.

Castañares’ solar company, Manzana Energy, Inc., was sued in May by a subcontractor, BAP Power Corp., which claims it’s owed more than $900,000 for solar panels installed at schools across San Ysidro. At issue is whether BAP preformed in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Court records show that in recent months an attorney representing Castañares filed motions in court to be dismissed from the case, saying he had unsuccessfully tried to contact Castañares since early December.

“I have lost all contact with my client Manzana Energy, Inc., and have not spoken to its CEO Arturo Castanares (sic) since December 3, 2018,” attorney Patrick Prindle wrote in a document to support the request for the motion. “My client refuses to respond to email, telephone calls, voicemail messages or text messages. As a result, I cannot continue to represent it.”

During a hearing on Monday in Orange County Superior Court, where the lawsuit was filed, a judge granted Prindle’s request, according to records.

In response to the motion, Castañares said: “We have decided to make changes in our approach to the BAP lawsuit to resolve the issues related to the San Ysidro solar project.

“We cannot discuss our legal strategy but we remain focused on ensuring that the contractor that designed and built the systems delivers on their contract obligations, including quality and performance guarantees.”

Meanwhile, Manzana Energy’s business license has been suspended by the California Franchise Tax Board, which collects corporate and personal taxes, according to state records. A spokesman said the Franchise Tax Board took the action against Manzana Energy on Jan. 2 for failing to file tax returns for the past five years.

Castañares said Manzana Energy has prepared the filings at issue.

“The filing status will be resolved and will not affect the legal case (related) to BAP,” he said.

In addition to La Prensa and Manzana Energy, Castañares also owns an adult amateur soccer team from Reno known as the Nevada Coyotes Football Club.

Before he ventured out into the news media landscape, realm of solar energy and soccer world, Castañares worked in politics for about 20 years. The Chula Vista native worked as senior staff to the California State Legislature 13 years, then led for six years a political and marketing consulting firm that managed election campaigns.